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Draconia
Draconia Draconia is a country within the Nesarian Empire. It is the only native land of two species, the Dragons and Black Elves. Its head of state is the High King, a hereditary position. Its state religion is the Draconic religion. Its national animal is the Unicorn, which is endemic to the western part of the country. The name Draconia comes from High Elvish Draco (meaning Dragon) and Ria (meaning Land), so Dragon-Land. The sound of the name was also likely inspired by Drakon'Oka, the name of the country in the Draconic language, which also means Dragon-Land. Draconia has a long and tumultuous history of various conflicting cultural and racial groups. Before the rise of the Dragon Empire, the Humans (known as the Divenic people), Black Elves, Dark Elves and Unkhori Orcs bitterly fought amongst each other for dominance, however the Dark Elves were massacred in about 500BC by the Dragons, and with the expansion of the Dragon Empire, the Unkhori Orcs were also slaughtered and pushed westward to the Drazaki jungle, where small communities still survive. The Black Elves were largely left alone as long as they paid their taxes, but the Humans underwent rigorous cultural conversion and were turned into a slave caste. When the Dragon Empire fell apart into civil war following their failed invasion of Nesaria, the Humans achieved greater freedom, but real liberty would only come for Draconic Humans following Draconia's annexation into the Nesarian Empire by Emperor Athdus III. Draconia has approximately 3,400,000 citizens, making it the 6th most populous country in the Empire. Draconic is spoken as the primary language, however like with all countries in the Empire, Nesarian is the most frequently learned second language and is used as a lingua franca. High Draconia High Draconia is not technically a city, but it is the capital of Draconia. It is more of a geographic region, which is the political and religious heart of Draconia. It is the only known region in the world which has an ecosystem based primarily around fungi rather than plants - the only plant which grows there is grass. It has many huge towering spires, which are often mistaken for stone but are actually a type of fungus. Nearly all of the animals which live there have wings, and are distantly related to Dragons. High Draconia is surrounded by tall mountains, which isolate it from the rest of Draconia. No tunnels or passages have been created leading into High Draconia, and it is only accessible from the air. Humans are barred from High Draconia, and the airspace above it is restricted. Most Dragons live in or near High Draconia. In the centre of High Draconia is a large (both in height and width) mountain surrounded by a natural moat. Built into the mountain is the Dragon Temple, considered the most holy site on Earth by those following the Draconic religion. It is the home of the most high-ranking priests, and only Pinkscales, Redscales and Goldscales are allowed to enter. On the other side of the mountain is the Royal Palace, where the High King lives and where the Draconic Parliament lays (although the Human Assembly is in Brasconeta, the largest Human city, several miles west of High Draconia). Draconic Parliament The Draconic Parliament functions similarly to the Imperial Government, in that the High King is the "upper house". The lower house, the Draconic Assembly, consists of appointed individuals and 10 Draconic priests. Only Dragons can serve in the Draconic Assembly. There is a house below that, the Human Assembly, which mainly serves an advisory role. It can stop bills being passed into law if 80% or more of the Human Assembly decides to veto the bill, but even if some members of the Human Assembly decide to veto a bill, it is rare that 80% or more of the chamber agrees. Humans routinely protest against this and say it should be lowered to 60% or 50%. The Black Elves do not get to participate in either the Draconic or Human Assembly, but they have a great degree of self-governance and are essentially independent in all but name. Caste System Draconia has always followed a race-based caste system, which became less prevalent after reforms under Emperor Jacras I (1814) and Emperor Adrion I (1958). It still exists in a limited form today, although there are talks about reducing it further. Below are descriptions of the roles and status of the different castes, going from least powerful to most powerful. It also explains the caste-mixing policy. Old Caste System * '''Penalty for mixing races/castes: '''Death, and death to any children this relationship produces. * '''Humans: '''Slave caste. New Humans incorporated into the realm become property of the state, to be used or sold off by the High King. Sometimes fought as slave soldiers. Following Draconia's annexation into the Nesarian Empire, Humans were no longer chattel slaves and were their own property, but they were still indentured servants that usually did not work for a wage. * '''Bluescales: '''Worker caste. Does the jobs no-one else wants to do, and serve as unprofessional levies in times of war. Cannot own Human slaves. * '''Greenscales: '''Warrior caste. Mainly professional soldiers or skilled craftsmen. * '''Pinkscales: '''Officer caste. Can be military officers and hold very minor titles (Baronetcies or Baronies). * '''Redscales: '''Noble caste. Can be members of the government, nobles, generals and priests. * '''Goldscales: '''Royal caste. Only this caste can become High King. Most of the government was made up of Goldscales. Supreme military commanders. They cannot be put on trial for any crime. First Caste Reform (1814) * '''Penalty for mixing races/castes: '''Death, and any children produced belong to the caste of the lowest parent. * '''Humans: '''Worker caste. Does the jobs no-one else wants to do, and serve as unprofessional levies in times of war. * '''Bluescales and Greenscales: '''Warrior caste. Mainly professional soldiers or skilled craftsmen. * '''Pinkscales: '''Officer caste. Can be military officers and hold minor titles. Can be priests. Can be members of the government. The highest title they could hold was raised to a County. * '''Redscales: '''Noble caste. Can be members of the government, nobles and generals. * '''Goldscales: '''Royal caste. Only this caste can become High King. Supreme military commanders. They can be put on trial for murder and rape but not any other crime. Second Caste Reform (1958) * '''Penalty for mixing races/castes: '''No penalty, but any children produced belong to the caste of the lowest parent. * '''Humans: '''They have the same rights as Dragons, but can only participate in the Human Assembly, not the Draconic Assembly. They can become military officers, but they can only command other Humans. They cannot be nobility. * '''Bluescales and Greenscales: '''Same rights as Humans, but able to participate in the Draconic Assembly. They can become military officers, commanding Humans or Dragons. They cannot be nobility or priests. * '''Pinkscales: '''Holds minor titles and higher military officer ranks. Can be priests. * '''Redscales: '''Holds major titles and higher military officer ranks. * '''Goldscales: '''Only this caste can become High King, and they are the supreme military commanders. They cannot be put on trial for slander or libel. Flag The flag of Draconia is a purple, white and gold tricolour with a black depiction of the Dragon Emperor (or Flame-Bearer). * Since the Dragons revere the Dragon Emperor/Flame-Bearer as their almighty deity and saviour of the universe, this symbolism is fairly obvious and self-explanatory. The black colour represents the physical death of the Dragon Emperor in its fight against the Xaenis Queen. * The purple band represents the Draconic monarchy and the connection to the Imperial monarchy, as purple is the royal colour. * The white band represents the Humans in Draconia. White has historically been the colour of Draconic Humans, as it is a neutral colour that none of the Dragons possess. * The gold band represents the Goldscales, the ruling caste of Draconia. In recent times its meaning has been expanded, however, and it now generally represents all Dragons. * The white and gold bands, representing Humans and Dragons respectively, are adjacent to emphasise the friendship and co-operation between the two species.